The issue of evacuating tribals from their natural habitats in the name of State government’s flagship programmes ‘Haritha Haram’ resulted in clashes between people and forest officials.
Almost 20 persons including women and forest officials were injured at Marrigudem village forest area in Chandrugonda mandal on Monday.
K Krishnaveni, A Venkata Laxmi,J Padma and K Hemalatha, Venkata Ratnam forest officials B Rama Krishna, and some others have received serious injuries and shifted to Government Hospital in Kothagudem.
The forest officials are claiming that some tribals and other caste people were cutting the forest and doing podu cultivation on forest land for over nine years. But the tribals and others are claiming that for many years they are doing cultivation on those lands and they don’t have land.
Meanwhile, 20 women reached the spot and asked the forest officials to stop the trench work but the forest officials allegedly attacked them and made lathi charge. In this incident M Surya Prakash Rao sustained injuries on head.